Low-impact portable exercise device

ABSTRACT

An exercise device comprising: a primary support strut, two lever arms, at least two resistance members; the primary support strut being an elongate member with two ends, both distal ends of the primary support strut being affixed with the lever arms, the resistance members being attached to the two lever arms and the primary support strut.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of exercise equipment and sports equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The marketplace offers a vast array of exercise products designed to build muscle strength, enhance cardiovascular fitness, and to bum fat. Most of these products are narrow in scope and function. In addition, many of these products are big and bulky, making it prohibitively difficult to bring to the office or on vacation. Moreover, many of these products are designed for younger people who have strong ligaments, tendons, and bones.

For instance, one problem which inheres with many products is the fact that the muscle groups targeted are quite narrow. There abound many products designed solely for use with the bicep muscles. Others are designed only for use with forearm or hand muscles. The problem with an exercise device which only works a small muscle is that it ignores other larger and more important muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus, and pectoral muscles. The muscle mass of these larger muscles is far more important than the smaller muscles because it greatly enhances balance, stability, and overall endurance for everyday normal tasks.

Another problem is that most of the exercise devices used to target the larger muscles are oftentimes huge and bulky. It is not uncommon to find an exercise machine or apparatus which weighs over 300 pounds which is used for the development of major leg muscles. Therefore, if a user were to go on a three week vacation or a work assignment, the user would have to abstain from their workout program. When the user gets back from the vacation, he or she will have to start over again due to muscle atrophy.

Another concomitant problem is cost. Most of these larger machines and apparatuses are out of reach for the budgets of most people. Several of these devices used to work on the larger muscles cost several thousands of dollars.

Another problem with the prior art is that many exercise devices are really designed for younger people. An older person may be prohibited from using many devices because their skeletal and ligament infrastructures simply cannot tolerate such stress and because many of the devices are not adjustable for resistance.

Another problem with the prior art for portable exercise devices is that many are constructed with a single center spring and no static center member to space dual axis arms. Therefore, the prior art devices have a limited range of motion which is a critical factor in exercise equipment. In addition, the single spring devices only have resistance in a single direction, which further limits the number of muscle groups that can be exercised.

Therefore, what is needed in the art is a portable device used for exercising large and small muscles alike. Moreover, there is a need for a device which is enabled for variable resistance as well as bi-directional resistance and which is low-impact in design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a portable exercise device enabled for variable resistance as well as bi-directional resistance. In a preferred embodiment the exercise device comprises: a primary support strut, two lever arms, at least two resistance members; the primary support strut being an elongate member with two ends, both ends of the primary support strut being affixed with the lever arms, the resistance members affixed to the lever arms and the primary support strut.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a unique apparatus and accompanying methods are used to exercise various muscles of a body. The apparatus and accompanying methods are described in enabling detail below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate most of the components of the present invention. Exercise device 100 includes the following components: primary support strut 101, lever arm 102, axis pin 103, resistance member 104, anchor bars 105, lever arm attachment 106, elastic fasteners 107, and handle 108.

Exercise system 100 in a preferred embodiment is comprised of a lightweight metal for the primary support strut 101, the lever arms 102, the axis pins 103, the anchor bars 105, and the lever arm attachments 106. In a preferred embodiment said components are comprised of aluminum. The use of aluminum in a preferred embodiment is desirable because it has several desired features. First, it is lightweight which makes it expedient for the purposes of portability and for providing a low-impact battery of exercises. Second, aluminum is strong enough to withstand the substantial stress placed upon the infrastructure of the exercise system 100. Strength of the material is important for the present invention because a user will operate the exercise system 100 for many repetitions for the desired exercises.

However, although aluminum is mentioned here as an expedient material for use with the exercise system 100, it is not specifically required in the present invention that the exercise system 100 be comprised of aluminum or any other lightweight metal. There abound a panoply of other materials which may prove equally expedient for the desirable qualities of strength and portability. Examples include plastic, carbon fiber, wood, or other types of metals.

The primary support strut 101 provides the fulcrum upon which the resistance members 104 and the lever arms 102 operate. Primary support strut 101 is the anchor for points of attachment. Points of attachment are seen at the axis pin 103 and the anchor bars 105. In a preferred embodiment the points of attachment are fastened with garden variety nuts and bolts for the attachment of the anchor bars 105. In this preferred embodiment, the primary support strut 101 has holes bored into it to provide entry for the bolts with which a nut is mated therewith. Although the means of attachment in this preferred embodiment is through use of nuts and bolts, other means of attachment and fastening may prove equally expedient. Other examples include welding, soldering, or even shaping various pieces so they mate together to form an interference fit with each other. The possibilities are endless. Therefore, it is not specifically required in the present invention that the means of fastening and attachment are fashioned through use of nuts, bolts, and bored holes into the primary support strut 101. This not only holds true for the primary support strut 101 but for the rest of the present invention as well.

The lever arms 102 provide the point of contact for the user. User will typically operate the exercise device by placing their hands upon both handles 108 which are attached to the lever arms 102. The lever arms move either clockwise or counter-clockwise. If the user desires to press the lever arms 102 towards each other one lever arm will rotate clockwise whereas the opposing lever arm 102 will rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. Handles 108 and lever arms 102 may also be pressed away from each other.

The lever arms 102 in a preferred embodiment are essentially hollow tubes with various bored holes for points of attachments for the other components of the exercise system 100. However, it is not specifically required that the lever arms 102 be hollow. It is possible for the lever arms to be solid. In addition, it is not specifically required that lever arms 102 possess bored holes for points of attachment. As it was pointed out above, other means of attachment for the lever arm 102 with the primary support strut 101 and the lever arm attachments 106 may include welding, detents, dovetail type attachments, etc. Even with respect to the axis pins 103, it is not necessary for the axis pin 103 to enter the lever arm 102 longitudinally. Axis pins 103, may possibly be attached to another member attached to the lever arm 102 for the purpose of rotation.

In the preferred embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1 there are five bored holes on each lever arm 102. Two bored holes are used to affix the lever arm attachments 106 with the lever arm 102. Another bore hole is used for the axis pin at the point of attachment with the primary support strut 101. And two more bore holes are used for the lower lever arm attachment 106.

On the distal end of the lever arm 102 there is an end for attachment with a handle 108. Means of attachment in a preferred embodiment is through complimentary threading on outer surface of the distal end of lever arm 102 as well as the inside surface of the handle 108. However, other means of attachment such detents, or a strong interference fit with the lever arm are available. For instance, in some embodiments no threading of either the handle 108 nor the lever arm 102 is necessary. The only requirement would be an interference fit with enough friction to prevent the handle 108 from slipping off the lever arm 102 and for its normal operation as an exercise device. In other preferred embodiments, said handle 108 may be affixed to a threaded member such as a screw whereas the lever arm is complimentarily threaded on the inside surface to accept the threaded member affixed to said handle 108. The possibilities are endless.

In addition, in some preferred embodiments, the lever arms 102 may be telescoping for purposes of portability and adjustability. The means of telescoping lever arms 102 in a preferred embodiment is through use of narrowing cylindrical shapes housed in each other. The use of telescoping arms is well known in the art and there abound a panoply of ways to achieve such result. As such, the exact means of telescoping shall not be detailed further herein.

Lever arm attachments 106 in a preferred embodiment are “L” shaped. The reason for this is to provide a space for the resistance members with which the lever arm attachments 106 can be affixed. Another reason is to provide at least two fastening points with the lever arm 102. Lever arm attachments 106 are affixed to one distal end of the lever arm 102 and also a point substantially removed from the opposite distal end of the lever arm 102. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the lever arm attachments has two bored holes for use in affixing with the lever arm 102. More or less bored holes along with the concomitant nuts and bolts may be used. Other means of attachment may also prove equally expedient such as welding, dovetailing shapes, etc.

In addition, with respect to the lever arm attachment 106 bored holes may be used to affix the resistance members 104 to the lever arm attachment 106. Or, in other preferred embodiments, the lever arm attachment 106 may have just one long slot for use in affixing to the resistance members 104. Again, the means of affixation of the lever arm attachments 106 with the resistance members 104 are endless. The foregoing examples were meant to be illustrative and exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting to the scope of the present invention.

The anchor bars 105 are bent members with both distal ends affixed to opposite sides of the primary support strut 101. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each distal end of the anchor bar 105 has a bored hole for use in affixing with the primary support strut 101. And like the lever arm attachment 106, bored holes or a slot is used to affix with the resistance members 104. Again, the use of bored holes in the anchor bar 105 are mentioned for illustrative or exemplary purposes and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. Other means of affixation such as welding, dovetailing shapes, etc. may prove to be just as expedient as the bored holes or slots.

Resistance members 104 are the crux of the operation of the exercise device 100. Resistance members 104 provide resistance with which the muscles of a user's body work against. In a preferred embodiment the resistance members 104 are made of an elastomeric tubing material. The reasons elastomeric tubing is used is because it is strong, durable, and of suitable tensile strength for low-impact exercise. However, it is not specifically required that elastomeric tubing be used for the resistance members 104. Other equally expedient materials abound such as springs, neoprene, rubber, bungee cord, latex, etc. Therefore, the mentioning of elastomeric tubing should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention.

In addition, the present invention is meant to be modular in terms of the scale of resistance of the exercise system 100. For this reason, it is desirable for the user to change the level of resistance by simply adding or subtracting the number of resistance members 104 from the exercise system 100. Or, in the alternative, user may elect to change the amount of resistance by switching the type of resistance member such as bungee cord, rubber, etc.

As FIG. 2 illustrates, resistance members 104 are affixed to both the lever arm attachment and anchor bars with use of a resistance fastener 107. In the preferred embodiment which is illustrated, the resistance fastener 107 is a screw. However, other means of resistance fasteners abound. Examples include hooks, buckles, etc. The alternatives are endless. Therefore, the means of affixing the resistance members 104 with the exercise device 100 are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

There are numerous handles which may be used to perform different exercises. FIGS. 4-7 illustrates the different types of handles which may be used with the present invention. Straight grip 108, horseshoe grip 201, T-bar grip 202 and long T-bar grip 203 are used for various exercises. There abound many different types of grips which may be equally adaptable for use with the present invention. As such, the illustrated grips are not meant to be exhaustive nor limiting to the scope of the present invention.

It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that there are numerous changes that may be made in embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As such, the invention taught herein by specific examples is limited only by the scope of the claims that follow. 

1. An exercise device comprising: a primary support strut, two lever arms, at least two resistance members; the primary support strut being an elongate member with two ends, both ends of the primary support strut being affixed with the lever arms, the resistance members affixed to the lever arms and the primary support strut.
 2. The exercise device of claim 1 further comprising two handles, the handles being affixed with a distal end of each lever arm.
 3. The exercise device of claim 1 further comprising two pins, the axis pins conjoining the lever arms with the primary support strut through their orifices on both the primary support strut and the lever arm.
 4. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the resistance member is made of elastomeric tubing.
 5. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the resistance member is made of springs.
 6. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the resistance member is made of rubber.
 7. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is a horseshoe grip.
 8. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is a right angle grip.
 9. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is a T-bar grip.
 10. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is a toe grip.
 11. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the lever arms are telescopic.
 12. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is affixed with the lever arm through use of detents, the lever arm and the handle being affixed with mating detent pieces.
 13. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is affixed with the lever arm with corresponding threading upon the outside surface of the lever arm and the corresponding inside surface of the mating orifice of the handle.
 14. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein the handle is affixed with the lever arm with corresponding threading upon the inside surface of the lever arm and the corresponding outside surface of the mating orifice of the handle.
 15. The exercise device of claim one wherein the lever arms are made of a metal.
 16. The exercise device of claim one wherein the primary support strut is made of a metal.
 17. The exercise device of claim one further comprising anchor bars which are affixed to the primary support strut; said anchor bars providing a means of attachment for the resistance members.
 18. The exercise device of claim one further comprising lever arm attachments, said lever arm attachments affixed to ends of lever arms; the lever arm attachments providing a means of attachment with the resistance members.
 19. The exercise device of claim one wherein the lever arms and the primary support strut is made of plastic or carbon fiber.
 20. An exercise device comprising a primary strut, two levers, at least two members, and at least one axis pin; the primary support strut being affixed with at least two members substantially towards the center of the primary support strut, the lever arms being affixed with the resistance members on the distal ends opposite the distal ends which are affixed with the primary support strut, and an axis pin which connects both the lever arm with the primary support strut so as to allow the lever arm to rotate free about an axis. 